Canoe sunk by waves, 13 people died
On the afternoon of February 26, a tourist canoe carrying 39 people from Cu Lao Cham Island to shore was sunk by waves at Cua Dai beach, 13 people died, 4 people are missing.
About 400 people, nearly 30 vehicles, including tourist canoes and shipsrescueBorder Guards of Cua Dai, Military Region 5, Coast Guard ships, and fishing boats of fishermen organized a search within an area of three square kilometers. The outside temperature was about 20 degrees Celsius, and the sea was rough.
 |
| First aid for victims ashore. Photo: Dai Thanh |
At 4:30 p.m., Mr. Phan Viet Cuong, Secretary of the Quang Nam Provincial Party Committee, said that 34 victims had been rescued, of which 10 were dead, 2 were in critical condition, and 22 had escaped. Three adults and two children were still missing. The victims were taken to Hoi An Hospital and Thai Binh Duong Hospital.
By 6:30 p.m., the death toll had risen to 13, with one person taken to Da Nang for treatment and four still missing, said Mai Van Muoi, director of the Quang Nam Department of Health.
 |
| Rescue boats join the search for victims on the afternoon of February 26. Photo: Nguyen Dong |
The search for the victim was suspended due to darkness. Quang Nam provincial leaders said they could coordinate with the military to send helicopters to search, then salvage the canoe and investigate the cause of the accident.
"The incident is very heartbreaking, especially for the victim's family. We will seriously learn from this experience to ensure the safety of tourists, especially when Quang Nam is chosen to host the national tourism year," said Mr. Cuong.
On shore, crowds of people were still watching the boats coming ashore, hoping to find more victims. Ambulances were also on standby to take victims to hospital.
That same evening, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked the Quang Nam Provincial Police to urgently verify the cause of the canoe sinking incident at Cua Dai Beach. Leaders of the National Traffic Safety Committee went directly to the scene to coordinate with local authorities to overcome the consequences; analyze the causes of recent special traffic incidents, clarify the responsibilities of agencies, and propose solutions.
The Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Nam province was assigned to mobilize all means and human resources to search for and rescue people and vehicles in the accident; arrange the best medical conditions to treat the injured; and visit the families of the deceased.
The canoe sinking occurred in a sea area affected by an intensifying cold front. For a week now, the northern East Sea (including the waters of the Hoang Sa archipelago), the sea area from Binh Dinh to Ca Mau has continuously had strong winds of level 6-7. The sea is rough, with waves 2-3 meters high. A cargo ship and 12 fishing boats have been in an accident, 12 people are missing.
Cu Lao Cham Island is about 18 km from Cua Dai Port, Hoi An City, and takes 15 minutes by canoe. There are 8 large and small islands here, with a population of about 3,000, always ranking among the most beautiful and attractive beaches in the Central region, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists to visit and relax.
